From the Department of
History, Political Science,
and Philosophy
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AIKEN
Greetings from
the Editors
Lessons
From Two Decades of Change
Bob and Carol Botsch
T
his fall marks the 50th
anniversary of the founding
of USC Aiken. Wow! The campus
community is marking this event in
many different ways this year. POLIS
is joining the celebration by looking
back at our early years and at some of
our earliest grads. While the campus
was founded in 1961, the four year
degree programs in Political Science
and History date back to the middle
1970s. So in that sense we can do
another 50th in about another decade
or so!
To help mark this moment in time,
POLIS has two special reminiscences.
They are from one of our earliest
graduates, Garry Smith, and one
of the first two political scientists at
USCA, Pat Cotter. Both remember
other early faculty. A few of our
“old-timers” who are still here at the
university remember Professors Ray
Wilson (sometimes Bob thinks he can
smell his cigar in the hallway!) and
Wilton Lee, who pioneered the History
program. Ray taught at USCA from
1961 to 1984, and Wilton taught at the
university from 1966 to 1981. They
were joined at USCA by Drs. Calvin
Smith and Bill Brockington in 1972 to
create the core of the History program.
Calvin retired in 2003 and Bill retired
in 2008. For many years, Political
Science had just two full-time faculty.
Dr. George Bowdler taught at USCA
from 1969 to 1986, and Dr. Pat Cotter
taught at the university from 19751978.
One of the other ways in which we
will commemorate this anniversary
is by placing pictures of as many of
our retired faculty as possible in the C
hallway of the Humanities and Social
Sciences building. Many of you early
grads remember the H and SS building
as the “Classroom Building.” So in
continued on page seven
Fall 2011
Dr. Elaine Lacy, Professor of History
O
ne year ago Dr. Val Lumans
wrote a delightful piece for
Polis about the changes that had
occurred at USC Aiken during the
almost 30 years he had been a part of
this institution. As a fellow historian
I feel a similar urge to reflect on
the changes I have witnessed (and
experienced) during my two decades
at this institution. But I would also like
to share with our readers some of
the things I have learned over these
years.
Among the most dramatic
changes affecting USCA in the last
two decades are those that relate
to technology. When I arrived
on campus in August 1991, I was
provided a used desktop computer
and was advised, in the absence of
screensavers, to turn the computer
off when I left my office to teach a
class. It took my computer 12-15
minutes to reboot each time. No
one had E-mail capability, so to get a
message (or “Memo”) to colleagues
across campus we typed it out, made
photocopies, and walked them around
campus to faculty mailboxes. We
used overhead projectors in class,
lectured from typed notes, walked to
the library to read journal articles, and
headed to archives to locate historical
documents. We got news from radio
(which some faculty kept in their
offices), television, and newspapers,
and talked on our land-line phones.
Students visited our offices during
(and outside of) office hours to
discuss their progress in our classes.
Technological improvements have
brought dramatic changes to teaching
and to our research practices.
Blackboard, Power Point, You Tube,
and online photographs and other
historical documents enhance the
learning experience for students, but
at the same time, we find ourselves
monitoring students’ classroom use
of smart phones, laptops, and iPads.
Students email us (or contact us on
Facebook) at all hours of the day and
night. While I am impressed with their
knowledge and use of new equipment
and the Internet, especially social
networking sites, I have observed
the inability of many students today
to meet academic deadlines, and I
suspect that the reason is their lack of
time management skills in the face of
so many distractions.
My research tactics have also
changed tremendously. Some of the
documents previously available only
in dusty archives are now available
online. The journal articles I drove
to USC Columbia’s Thomas Cooper
Library to read (or ordered via
Interlibrary Loan) are now available
through electronic databases. I
store data on a “cloud” rather than
floppy disks. I regularly engage in
email chats about my research with
colleagues in Mexico (one of my
continued on page seven
Faculty
T
his year, we thought we would
ask our faculty to comment on
their scholarship, on current and
future research projects. So we posed
the following questions to our 20102011 colleagues, and will share their
responses with you. As you can see,
your teachers have a wide range of
interests that span the world and the
centuries!
“What research projects are you
working on? What did you work
on this year and/or what are your
upcoming projects? And why have
you selected that project or why
do you find this topic interesting or
important?”
Dr. Bob Botsch
Professor of Political Sciences
(bobb@usca.edu)
This past year has
been an exciting one
in national politics,
one in which the
polarization of politics
continued. We see some of that in
research that Carol Botsch and I
began last year on how feelings of
“ethnic antipathy” toward President
Obama have affected popular
reactions to his policy proposals. What
we see is that those who hold these
feelings oppose anything associated
with Obama regardless of whether
they support the policy proposals in
principle.
Many of you remember taking
the American Government general
knowledge pre and post tests. That
long term study comparing teaching
traditional face-to-face and Web
classes came to an end last year,
after Carol Botsch and I graded some
6,400 of these tests with a sample
of 3,200 students over 13 years. (At
15 minutes on each test for grading,
coding, and loading on the computer,
we each expended over 60 hours of
work per year for just that aspect of
the research.) The data show that
students in face-to-face and Web
Page Two, Fall 2011
Thoughts
classes have grown more similar over
time, erasing gender differences and
greatly reducing age and ethnicity
differences that existed when we first
began teaching on the Web. Teaching
format made no significant difference
in learning (pre to post test), but
Web students increased newspaper
reading more, but were also more
likely to drop the class after it began
than face-to-face students.
The last piece I have been
working on for publication is one that
examines the “Money Game” or “red/
black game” that most of you played
on the second day of your Introduction
to Politics class. I look at that game
in terms of trends in play over the last
30 plus years (men and women were
equally likely to lie) and discuss about
ten basic concepts and ideas that the
game illustrates about politics (like
the role of government in enforcing
contracts). This game was such an
excellent exercise illustrating so many
important ideas that I thought I should
share it with other political scientists
who teach introductory courses. I will
finish up this piece next year.
Professor of Political Science
(carolb@usca.edu)
As a political scientist,
I am well aware that
most Americans know
very little about their
governmental system and have wondered how we, as teachers, might be
able to help develop better prepared
citizens. As one of the first to teach
online classes at USCA, I was also
quite interested in whether teaching
format made a difference in knowledge gained and in political attitudes.
As you have seen from Dr. Bob’s
comments, we have been comparing
knowledge gained by American Government students taking online and
face to face classes, along with political interest, political trust, and political
efficacy, for quite a long time!
As we concluded this study, the
analysis of this data has been the
primary focus of my research this past
year. The project will continue into the
fall, as we examine changes in voting
behavior, a variable added midway in
our project. We hope that our findings
will be useful in improving the civic
education of college students, our nation’s future leaders.
I have also returned to another
interest of mine, women in politics. My
newest project, just getting underway
at this writing, is a case study of a
Southern woman politician, perhaps
a natural follow up to my recent book
chapter about the life and career of
South Carolina’s first woman state
senator. I am interested in examining
how a woman could succeed against
the odds in politics in a traditionalistic
state where most women saw their
primary role in the private sphere of
the home.
Although it remains on the back
burner at present, I have a long-term
interest in the domestic animal overpopulation problem, and how communities address or fail to address
this issue. Little research has been
conducted on this topic, and I continue
to collect data on the topic. I hope
to return to my study of this heartwrenching problem after I complete
the political socialization project. And
why do I think this is important? My
answer is simple: millions of adoptable dogs and cats are euthanized
across the nation every year. About
10,000 are euthanized in Aiken County
alone. In my view, that is a travesty. If
knowledge is power, perhaps through
my research I can help develop more
humane solutions.
Assistant Professor of History
(Dr. Brannon can be reached at James
Madison University as
of Fall 2011)
Dr. Brannon, whose
primary research interest is American colonial
history, is currently working on a book
and has a contract with the USC
press. The topic is reconciliation after
the American Revolution between
the Patriots and the Loyalists, and
is based on her dissertation. She
has been working on this project for
several years and hopes to complete
it by the end of the year. Dr. Brannon
noted that not much has been written
on that particular process. She is interested in “how they incorporated in
an enemy population after a civil war”
and commented that there “weren’t
many of those.” She is also working
on a new side project on masculinity
and aging in the 18th century in America. She is interested in how men
perceived the shift from the “prime of
life” to old age and whether it differs
from how women perceived it.
Assistant Professor of Political
Science (thomasw@usca.edu)
I spent the summer
working on former
Soviet small state
foreign policy. I
am engaged in a
comparative study of Kyrgyz, Estonian
and Georgian foreign policy since
1991. After twenty years, we can
begin to ask whether these former
Soviet small states have constructed
genuine “foreign policies” and
begin to say something about their
content and process of foreign policy
decision-making. Despite their very
different geographical locations
(Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia),
I am exploring the commonalities
suggested by their experience
as Soviet republics underpinning
their behavior in the international
system. Thanks to an NEH Summer
Scholarship, in June I was able to
spend three weeks at Columbia
University in New York using their
research libraries that contained many
useful Russian and Kyrgyz-language
sources.
Professor Alexia Helsley
Instructor of History
(alexiah@usca.edu)
Since last June, I
have published three
books: A History of
North Carolina Wine,
Persevering in Faith: A Centennial
History of Eason Memorial Baptist
Church, Eastover, South Carolina,
1910 – 2010, and Wicked Beaufort:
Murder and Mayhem under the Live
Oaks. The wine book grew out of
my interest in the history of Western
North Carolina‘s Catawba grape.
Found near Fletcher, NC, this grape
helped launch Nicholas Longworth’s
first commercially successful winery
in Cincinnati. The history committee
of Eason Memorial Baptist Church
asked me to document the church’s
first hundred years. Wicked Beaufort
is my third book on Beaufort, South
Carolina. As a graduate of Beaufort
High School, I have a long time
interest in researching and writing
about its history. In addition, I am
revising a chapter for A Companion
to George Washington which will be
published by Wiley-Blackwell in 2012.
In September, I was a book panelist
for the Southeastern Independent
Booksellers’ meeting in Daytona
Beach, Florida and in May, I was a
panelist for the SC Book Festival. I
enjoy research and writing and plan
to pursue my interests in colonial and
antebellum migration routes of the
Southeastern United States.
Assistant Professor of History
(rogerd@usca.edu)
This year I have
continued my work on
the urban social history
of Istanbul in the late
Ottoman period with
an emphasis on patterns of crime
and violence. I have approached this
issue in a variety of ways this year.
In one article, I examined it from the
point of view of a single group, asking
what the role of war refugees was in
patterns of interpersonal violence in
Istanbul in the 1880s and 1890s. In
another, I looked at different source
of violence, namely terrorism. In
particular, I was interested in the
international component of terrorist
activities, and the ties between ethnic
separatist movements in the Ottoman
Empire and anarchist terrorism
in Western Europe and Russia.
Currently, I am at work on an article
which deals with a different aspect
of the issue of crime and violence. I
am examining the development of
a professional police force in the
Ottoman Empire. This parallels
similar developments in Europe, but
has not received nearly the same
attention.
Dr. Maggi Morehouse
Associate Professor of History
(maggim@usca.edu)
My 2010-2011
sabbatical has allowed
me time to conduct
research and pursue
scholarly activities.
Collecting life stories and
depositing the evidence into historical
repositories, has been the primary goal
of my scholarly work. What differentiates
an oral history from an interview is that
the scholar obtains the Human Subjects
approval from an internal review board
(HSA, IRB), establishes the questions,
collects the data, transcribes the
histories, and makes the full transcript
and recording available to other scholars
by depositing the oral history in an
accessible repository or digital archive.
In 2010, I was selected as one of 17
“Rising Stars” producing significant
research in the USC system because
of my work documenting the African
American community, and in 2011, I
was selected for USCA’s Scholarly
Activity Award. I have collected and
digitized over fifty oral histories of black
men and women who experienced
life in the segregated service. During
my sabbatical, I have been preparing
two manuscripts for publication. I am
under contract with Fordham University
Press to produce War Stories: Black
Soldiers and the Integration of the
Military to be published in 2012. Also,
for 2012 publication, I am under contract
with Routledge as the lead editor and
chapter author of Civil War America: A
Social & Cultural History of the Era.
continued on page four
Page Three, Fall 2011
Faculty thoughts continued
Dr. David Dillard-Wright
Assistant Professor of Philosophy, (davidd@
usca.edu)
David Dillard-Wright
has been writing about
the physiological
effects of meditation
and breath control with
a local physician, Ravinder Jerath,
MD, of Georgia Health Sciences
University. A journal article stemming
from that research, called “Dynamic
Consciousness and Pranayama:
Towards a Unified Model,” will soon
be under peer review. DillardWright and Jerath have written a
book at the popular level called The
Everything Guide to Meditation for
Healthy Living that summarizes their
findings. David has written a followup volume called Meditation for
Multitaskers (published in July 2011).
David has also continued his work in
Continental philosophy and ethics and
presented a paper at the Franciscan
University of Steubenville with the
title, “Pfänder’s Philosophy of Willing
and Motivation.” He is in the midst
of a long-term project on the ethics of
relating to distant others.
Professor of History
(vall@usca.edu)
My main research
and scholarship
effort at present
is translating into
English and editing
of a book in Latvian
on Latvian paramilitary auxiliaries
hired by the US Army in post-World
War II occupied Germany. I am also
researching this subject and will
add new material to the translation,
resulting in a book titled The Baltic
Guard. I also have three book
reviews pending on major publications
on the Holocaust for international
scholarly journals. And then, as
time permits, I will begin translating
and editing my father’s diary of his
experiences as a refugee in post-war
Germany. A long range project is
writing a Mark Twain-Paul Therouxlike memoir-history on the places I
have traveled and studied in Europe
Page Four, Fall 2011
Dr. Steve Millies
Dr. Elaine Lacy
I’ve done most of my
writing about Edmund
Burke (1730-1797), a
British politician and
the "Father of Conservatism,” and
Thomas Merton (1915-1968), a
pacifist monk and spiritual writer. It’s
difficult to imagine two more different
figures, and I’ve often joked that
the headline for my obituary may
well read, “POLITICAL THEORIST:
WROTE ON BURKE AND MERTON,
DIES PENNILESS AND INSANE.”
But there is a method to my madness.
Burke lived through the tumult of the
American and French Revolutions,
and in the aftermath of the English
Civil War. Merton lived through the
two world wars and a Cold War that
unsettled centuries-old institutions,
and also lived to see the Second
Vatican Council—perhaps the most
important contemporary example
of an attempt to update tradition
without abandoning it. Both Burke
and Merton, in different and in similar
ways, dealt with the problem of how
we maintain tradition while we renew
tradition. Both Burke and Merton
address the problem of history, which
inevitably is a problem of politics.
History imposes itself on us: none
of us chooses to be born, nor into
what circumstances we are born,
but all of those things condition our
lives. Our politics must address our
lives today and plan for our future,
but we never escape the past which
intrudes on all we do. The good news
is that we can rely on a treasury of
human wisdom accumulated through
centuries that can guide us as we
struggle with contemporary problems.
The bad news is that ancient hatreds
and cultural chauvinisms can persist
against our best efforts to elude
them. What I am describing is the
clash between ancient and modern
perspectives on human life, which
inevitably influences the values that
shape our politics. Examining that
conflict is the work I expect to be
doing for a long time.
Dr. Elaine Lacy’s
current research project
is an examination of
the migration patterns,
socioeconomic characteristics, and
goals and behaviors of Mexican
immigrants to South Carolina
2009-2011. She received an RPS
grant through the USC system to
conduct interviews with 200 Mexican
immigrants across the state, with the
goal of updating our knowledge of
this immigrant population. Between
2003 and 2005 Dr. Lacy conducted
the first grant-funded examination
of the state’s Mexican immigrant
population. The current project is
aimed at comparing today’s Mexican
immigrants with those interviewed
earlier in the decade.
Another aim of the current study
is to determine how South Carolina’s
immigration law and the economic
recession have affected the lives
of these new state residents. After
completing the data gathering, Dr.
Lacy and her colleagues at USC’s
Consortium for Latino Immigration
Studies began to analyze the data
and put together a report of the
findings. Dr. Lacy plans to write at
least one scholarly article comparing
the results of the two studies.
Given that she will be entering
another life phase (she is unlikely
to actually “retire”) in July of this
year and moving to Asheville, NC,
another settlement area for Mexican
immigrants, Dr. Lacy hopes to
continue her research and outreach
efforts with that population. She
finds that work very rewarding, and
loves comparing the activities of and
response to this immigrant population
with that of earlier immigrant waves,
including the Irish and Italians of
the early 20th century. Dr. Lacy
also believes that collecting and
disseminating accurate information
about Latino immigrants is critical to
wise policy formation and to ensuring
protection of human rights, especially
in this era of immigrant-bashing.
Associate Professor of Political
Science (stevem@usca.edu)
Professor of History
(elainel@usca.edu)
Faculty Achievements
We have an outstanding faculty and
staff in the Department of History, Political
Science and Philosophy, if we say so
ourselves! But don’t take our word - others
have recognized our accomplishments as
well. Here are some of the reasons why.
We extend our congratulations to each of
these outstanding individuals!
Mrs. Carol McKay, Administrative
Assistant for the Department of English
and for the Department of History,
Political Science and Philosophy, is the
2010-2011 recipient of the Classified
Employee of the Year Award. As John M.
Hutchens, Director of Special Programs,
Ruth Patrick Science Education Center,
noted, a recipient must exhibit “diligence
and initiative in their work; cooperation
with co-workers, students and other
organizations…;” and exemplify “the
values of the University…” Your editors
believe that the faculty she assists would
all agree that there could be no more
deserving recipient! The inscription on
Mrs. McKay’s plaque written by Dr. Tom
Mack, Chair of the English Department,
sums it up well: “Since her desk is right
Faculty Changes
Our department has been in transition for the
past several years, as some of our long-time
faculty began to retire and new people took
their places. The transition continued during
this past year. Dr. Val Lumans (History) and Dr.
Elaine Lacy (History) both retired as of June
30, 2011. Dr. Lumans first began teaching at
USCA in 1981 and Dr. Lacy joined our faculty
in 1991. Dr. Rebecca Brannon (History), who
had completed her third year on the USCA
faculty, left to take a position at James Madison
University in Virginia. We wish our departing
faculty well in their new lives!
Three new historians joined us this fall, and
Dr. Steve Millies (Political Science) is our new
department chair. On July 1, 2011 he assumed
the position Dr. Lumans had held for twentyfive years, beginning in August of 1986. Drs.
Samuel Pierce and Dr. Heather Peterson are
our new tenure track historians. In addition,
Dr. Brent Morris assumed a one year position
as Instructor of History. We welcome our three
new faculty aboard! A little more information
about each of them follows. Dr. Roger Deal,
who chaired the Modern European History
outside my office, I bear witness on a daily
basis to how effectively Carol interacts
with faculty, students, and members of the
larger community, both on the phone and
in person. She handles every request with
charm and grace.”
Dr. Tom Wood (Political Science)
was honored with a fellowship from the
National Endowment for the Humanities
(NEH) for its Summer Institute at Columbia
University in NYC in June 2011. The
topic of the Institute was 'America Looks
at Eurasia'. Dr. Wood stated:”… the
Institute will gather US historians and
political scientists working on the former
Soviet Union and Eurasia to explore how
Eurasian Studies as a field has been
developing in the United States in the past
twenty years.” You can read more about
Dr. Wood’s research in the section on
faculty activities.
Dr. Maggi Morehouse (History) was
selected as the 2011 recipient of the USCA
Scholarly Activity Award. Dr. Morehouse
was on sabbatical during the 2010-2011
academic year, writing two books. You
can read more about Dr. Morehouse’s
Search Committee, wrote the description of
Sam Pierce. Dr. Rebecca Brannon, who chaired
the Latin American History Search Committee,
wrote the description of Heather Peterson. Dr.
Steve Millies and Dr. Brent Morris provided the
information about Brent Morris.
Dr. Sam Pierce will be our new Modern
Europe historian. He received his PhD in
Modern European History from the University of
Florida in 2007. He comes to us with extensive
teaching experience, having been a Visiting
Instructor at Brigham Young University and
most recently a Visiting Assistant Professor at
the College of Charleston. He will be able to
teach a wide variety of courses for us, including
surveys of Modern European history as well as
more thematically organized courses such as
Religion and Society in Europe and Nationalism
and Violence in Twentieth-Century Europe. He
will also be teaching the World History surveys.
Sam’s research focuses on political Catholicism
in Spain in the first half of the twentieth century.
Dr. Heather Peterson holds a PhD from the
University of Texas at Austin (2009) and has
taught there as well. She has a distinguished
history of holding outside grants, including
a Fulbright for her dissertation research and
research in the section on faculty activities.
Dr. Elaine Lacy (History) was awarded
the 2010 Student Inclusion Award for
leadership in embracing a commitment
to diversity and helping create positive
interactions among different cultures in
the community. We note that Dr. Lacy also
served as Director of the USCA Honors
Program prior to her retirement, and has a
longtime interest in working with the Latino
community in South Carolina.
Professor William Kiesling (History)
was selected as the 2011 recipient of the
USCA Part-Time Teaching Award. As Dr.
David Dillard-Wright, HAS Committee
Chair, noted: “Mr. Kiesling has taught in
both the Education and History programs
at USC Aiken since 2005, after serving
as a naval officer and elementary and
middle school teacher and administrator.
His teaching style makes use of handson and multimedia materials to enliven
the subject matter. He has an excellent
rapport with students and maintains a
lively and participatory atmosphere in the
classroom.”
postdoctoral fellowships at both the John
Carter Brown Library and the Max Planck
Institute for the History of Science. She is
working on a manuscript entitled A Microcosm
of Two Worlds: Mexico City’s Rise from the
Ashes of Tenochtitlan. Dr. Peterson’s specialty
is Latin American history.
Dr. Brent Morris served as an adjunct at
USCA and at USC Sumter last year. He is a
USC Columbia alumnus, where he received
his undergraduate degree in 2001. His
Ph.D. comes from Cornell (2010), where he
specialized in 19th century US history. His
research focus is the abolitionist movement
and two articles on the antislavery movement
were published in the summer of 2011. Dr.
Morris will teach classes in American History.
Our Retirees then
Dr. Val Lumans
Dr. Elaine Lacy
Page Five, Fall 2011
Outstanding Students
O
ur students just keep on shining!
Several of our department’s
students were recognized for their
achievements and honored at the
annual USCA Convocation on April
21, 2011.
Michael K. Bond, a senior Political
Science major and Cum Laude
graduate, was selected by the political
science faculty as Outstanding
Student of Political Science. Jaime
E. Eagerton, a senior History major
and Magna Cum Laude graduate,
was selected by the history faculty
as Outstanding Student of History.
Sean A. Wills, a freshman History
major, received the Oswald Freshman
Writing Award from the English faculty.
Vanda Siposova and Laura G.
Storey, both graduating Political
Science majors, were among seven
USCA students graduating from the
USCA Honors Program in Spring
2011. Laura is a Cum Laude graduate
who also served as president of the
Pacer Law Club during her senior
year. Vanda, who graduated Summa
Cum Laude with a double major in
Political Science and Business, was
also recognized as Outstanding
Senior Student. As Dr. Deb Klavidko,
Vice Chancellor for Student Life,
and Services, noted in her remarks,
“The Outstanding Senior Student
Award is designed to recognize a
student who embodies a composite
of …scholarship, leadership, and
achievement.”
Following are excerpts from the
remarks about Vanda delivered at the
April Convocation ceremony by Dr.
Deb Klavidko. We hope you will join
us in congratulating each of these
remarkable young men and women
for their accomplishments. We expect
to hear of the great things they do in
years to come!
Page Six, Fall 2011
Outstanding Senior Student:
Vanda Siposova
“This year’s recipient received
10 nominations for this award.
And the nominations came from 5
different departments on campus,
which indicates that she has made
a significant impression on people
throughout campus, not just in her
major fields.
This is an incredible feat for any
student, but particularly for one whose
first language is not English. And
speaking of languages, she is fluent
in 5: Slovakian (which is her native
tongue), Czech, German, French and
English...
She has been described as
someone who has a genuine
enthusiasm for learning which
is demonstrated by her lively
contributions to class debates. A
highly-motivated self-starter, she has
also been described by several faculty
members as one of the most gifted
and capable students they have ever
had the pleasure to teach.
In addition, Vanda has been
involved in virtually every aspect of
student life at USC Aiken, including
being meaningfully involved in almost
a dozen student organizations
on campus, including Student
Government and Globe. And if all of
that wasn’t enough for her to have
on her plate, she has also been a
student employee in several offices on
campus…”
Outstanding Student
of History: Jaime E. Eagerton
as described by Dr. Roger Deal
(History)
“A senior majoring in history,
Jaime is determined to further her
education in graduate school. While
keeping up with her studies, she also
works in the Office of the College
of Humanities and Social Sciences,
and this semester, she served as the
student representative on a search
committee to hire a new member of
the history faculty with a specialization
in Modern Europe. Both in and out of
the classroom, she has shown herself
to be both hardworking and insightful.”
Outstanding Student
of Political Science:
Michael K. Bond
as described by Dr. Tom Wood
(Political Science)
“A non-traditional student with a
prior career and family responsibilities,
Michael exemplifies the way in which
students who have not followed the
high school-straight-to-college route
can yet seize the opportunity to
reinvent themselves and launch new
career directions at USC Aiken.
In particular, Michael has made
lively contributions to class debates
over the years. And for a course
on the European Union, he wrote a
well-researched paper focused on
the trend in some German cities to
introduce unofficial voucher currencies
as a protest against that country’s
adoption of the Euro.
Michael’s future plans include either
graduate school in political science or
a career in financial services.”
Oswald Freshman Writing
Award: Sean A. Wills
as described by Professor Karl
Fornes (English)
“A history major, Sean wrote his
prize-winning essay for an English
101 class taught by Dr. Amanda
Warren. Entitled “Eve of Destruction,”
his essay notes the dangers of new
communications technology and
argues that the resulting lack of social
etiquette and nuance portends the end
of civilization.
Sean cites part-time philosopher
Dr. Theodore Kaczynski to support
his Swiftian solution—a small nuclear
detonation above the state of Kansas
that will create an electromagnetic
impulse large enough to knock-out all
electronic devices in the U.S."
From the Editors continued
from page 1
the future, when you do return for a visit,
you will see familiar faces on the walls.
We hope you will drop by and introduce
yourselves to other faces who occupy our
hallowed hallway today.
Because of the emphasis on our
“pioneers,” we asked current and retiring
faculty to give short reports this year on
their current research activities. You can
see that all of us have remained very busy
and are continuing to contribute to the
creation and dissemination of knowledge.
Faculty, grads and students continued to
rack up awards and recognitions this year.
We are proud of their accomplishments,
and we have described them in this edition
of Polis. Not mentioned is the fact that
our department is the only department
on campus that has had two “Carolina
Trustee Professors,” Val Lumans and
Bob Botsch. With Val’s retirement, we are
back in a tie with a few other departments.
But we are sure that one of our younger
faculty will once again put us ahead in the
years to come.
And speaking of awards, this past year
our grads completed a “three-peat.”Cliff
Webb (Political Science, 1980) delivered
the December 2010 graduation address.
He follows Gerald Maree (Political
Science, 1988) in 2009 and Craig
Wheeland (History, 1979) in 2008. These
three are just a few of our outstanding
grads!
We are always delighted to have our
grads and students who were in our
classes visit us. This past year we had
a wonderful visit from Kelvin Coleman
(Political Science, 2004). He had been
working on cyber-security in the White
House, tasked with coordinating state
and national responses to this area of
growing concern as more and more of our
lives are tied to online data. Kelvin gave a
guest lecture on cyber-security and shared
lunch with several of our students, later
helping one make contacts in Washington.
A couple of months after this visit, Bob
Botsch received a rather excited phone
call from Kelvin. He had just left the Oval
Office where President Obama had hosted
Kelvin and his family for pictures in front
of the president’s desk with the president
standing in the middle, among his family.
Some day perhaps some other USCA
family will have their picture taken in the
Oval Office, but this time with a USCA
graduate doing the inviting as president!
So on this 50th anniversary of our
school, read POLIS and enjoy, considering
what new wonderful things you and our
other grads will accomplish in the next 50
years. You are our future.
THANKS
Many thanks to all those who helped
with this edition of Polis! We would like to
add especial thanks to Christina Berkshire
and Carol McKay.
Lacy continued from page 1
areas of research) and other parts
of the United States. Further, I can
peruse historical newspaper articles
from Mexico and other U.S. cities
in minutes. Have these changes
enhanced the quality of scholarly
activities? I think so. For example,
today researchers have greater (and
faster) access to a broad range of
historical records and documents.
Electronic resources enable scholars
across the world to participate in
listserv and other online discussion
groups, discussing new theories and
sharing research findings. Further, it
takes far less time to do the research
for and to write and edit a book
chapter than it did two decades ago.
This decade’s economic downturn
has resulted in another change, at
least in my classrooms: more students
are holding down jobs while working
toward degrees, and the number of
nontraditional students has increased.
Each of these changes affects the
teaching and learning experience.
I have found that many working
students meet the minimum course
requirements but lack the energy (or
curiosity) to go much beyond that
minimum, and I have often lamented
the fact that so many students are
forced to spread themselves so thin.
On the other hand, my classes have
been enriched by the presence of
nontraditional students, who bring
with them life experience and wisdom,
a keen desire to know more about a
broad range of subjects, and selfdiscipline. I treasure their presence in
my courses.
And speaking of learning, I would
like to share some of what I have
learned during my years at USC
Aiken and in the USC system in
general. First, the student-professor
relationship proved to be incredibly
enriching for me. As a student,
I looked upon my professors as
somewhat godlike and thought
that I was the only one enriched by
our interaction. Since becoming
a professor myself, I see that
my students have affected me in
numerous ways. They are smart,
funny, interesting, very decent human
beings who want to make the world a
better place. Students have made my
last twenty years incredibly rich.
I have also learned to listen more
carefully, not just to students but to my
colleagues as well, and to value what
they think and feel. I admit that in my
first few years in academia I thought
my ideas and opinions were often
superior to those of (especially some)
of my colleagues across campus.
Over time, and especially during the
creation of our campus Strategic
Plan (2001-2003), I developed a
tremendous respect for the thoughts
and opinions of others. I came to see
that the well-being of any organization
is based on the energy and ideas of
everyone involved, not just those of a
few.
Additionally, the time I spent helping
to create a research consortium at
USC Columbia (2004-2007) taught
me to appreciate even more what
we have on the USC Aiken campus.
The differences between a large,
impersonal research campus and
a small, friendly liberal arts campus
are tremendous. I likened it to the
difference in living in a large city and
a smaller village. At USCA we know
other faculty, staff and students well,
our service units operate efficiently,
our professional staff works together
to support teaching and learning, and
our administrators work with us to do
what we’re here for: to help prepare
students for successful careers and
service in a rapidly changing global
village. I have so much appreciated
the ways in which we all work together
toward that end.
Impermanence is among
the realities of this life, as is
interconnectedness. We all are
affected by our shared experiences.
As I begin the next phase of my own
life in the mountains of western North
Carolina, my mind and heart will
remain touched by each student and
colleague I was privileged to know
over the last two decades.
Page Seven, Fall 2011
A look back
at the Past
A
s part of USCA’s
commemoration of its fiftieth
anniversary this fall, we thought
we would contact some of our
early graduates and professors
and ask them for their reflections
on their time at USCA. We would
welcome your thoughts if you are
also one of our early grads, and
would be happy to include them in
next year’s edition of Polis!
Our early student’s comments
this year are from Garry R.
Smith. Garry graduated in
1979 with a degree in History,
and subsequently earned an
MPA degree at USC in 1983.
He serves in the SC General
Assembly, representing the 27th
district (Greenville County).
Representative Smith (R) and his
wife, Brenda, live in Simpsonville.
He is part of a father and son
team in the legislature. His dad,
J. Roland Smith, is a long time
member of the Aiken County
legislative delegation and has long
been a friend and supporter of
USCA.
We also contacted one of our
early professors, Dr. Patrick Cotter,
who was one of the first political
scientists to teach at USCA. Pat
taught at USCA from 1975 to
1978, leaving to accept a position
at the University of Alabama at
Tuscaloosa. He has returned to
SC in retirement. Pat and his wife
now reside in Fripp Island, just
a few blocks away from another
retired member of our department,
Dr. Calvin Smith (History) and his
wife Marilyn. The recollections of
this early student and early faculty
member follow.
Page Eight, Fall 2011
Recollections of
Dr. Patrick Cotter
“I began working at USC-Aiken
in 1975. At that time, the campus
consisted of the main classroom/
administrative building and the
newly opened library. George
Bowdler was the other political
scientist then on the USCA faculty.
George was a good person and a
wonderful colleague.
When I arrived in Aiken,
political science and history
were combined in the same
department. Later, a social and
behavioral science division was
formed, including political science,
history, sociology and psychology.
The overall small size of USCA,
plus the combination of different
fields in the same department,
got me involved in several interdisciplinary projects, such as a
cross-discipline class in “Southern
Studies.”
My first duty as a faculty member
at the University was advising
students at fall registration.
Political science classes were
then listed in the catalogue under
Government and International
Studies (GINT). I kept getting
confused that fall because I was
always looking for political science
courses under “P” rather than “G”
in the course schedule. I’m sure
a number of students left that
registration wondering about this
new political science professor. I
never adjusted to the Government
and International Studies label. I
later did a survey showing that
most students did not know what
“GINT” was. This evidence helped
convince the faculty to change the
name of the program to Political
Science.
Student enrollment reached the
level needed for the campus to
become a four-year college the
first semester I was at Aiken. As
a result, I quickly found myself,
despite being freshly out of
graduate school, and never having
thought much about what a major
should involve, involved in the job
of developing the curriculum for
the school’s new political science
program. Luckily, in doing the
job, George Bowdler and I did
not try to reinvent the academic
wheel. Instead, we took the
easier approach of closely copying
the program then found at the
Columbia campus. With this
approach, we had few problems
in getting a political science major
approved for the Aiken campus.
In developing the major, George
and I put together an (overly)
ambitious list of courses. As a
result, we both ended up teaching
a large number of different classes.
George covered all of international
relations and comparative politics.
Meanwhile, I taught an introduction
to political science class, a
research methods course, and all
the American politics classes. I
also recall teaching at least one
course in Public Administration –
an area in which I had no previous
training.
Unfortunately, I don’t trust
my memory to name many of
my USCA students. I do recall
giving Bill Weeks the “student
of the year” award at an honors
gathering. I also remember that
Bill Lott was one of the best, if
not the best, student I ever had.
Mostly, I remember that USCA
students were quite tolerant as
I stumbled through the process
of changing from a know-it-all
assistant professor to a somewhat
competent teacher.
I left USCA in 1978 to take a
job at the University of Alabama,
where I stayed for more than 30
years. Overall, I have very fond
memories of the people I met and
the things that I did at USC-Aiken.
Being at USCA when it was a new
and growing institution gave me
many opportunities that I would not
have had elsewhere. I benefitted
from these experiences throughout
my career.”
“Wow! 32 years!
When I arrived on campus in
1975 the campus consisted of 2
buildings.
played at Aiken High! It was a
big day when the new Gym and
Student Center was opened.
On-campus food! Of course,
Basketball Coach Lew Perkins
was more excited about his own
gym to practice and play in.
Priorities?
All our classes were in what is
the Administration Building, which
also housed the student lounge
where we played spades and the
new electronic game of pong.
Remember that one!
Memories; Circle K Club, The
Double Knot, Chancellor Bill
Casper, Dr. Bill Brockington, Dr.
Bob Botsch, Mr. Lee, History
Club trip to Savannah, the Hill,
detergent in the fountain!
In those days we had to leave
campus for lunch because we
did not have a cafeteria or grill on
campus. That was ok, because,
that is how I met my wife....lunch
trip to Hardees in the 51 (my 1951
Chevy Deluxe)!
Our basketball games were
These were the days that set
a foundation and beginning for
the life I would have; marriage,
graduate school, family, career,
and politics. A life that I am still
enjoying in large part [due] to that
beginning.”
Recollections of
the Hon. Garry R. Smith
Thank You
Once again, the faculty and
students of the Department of
History, Political Science, and
Philosophy express our heartfelt
thanks to the alumni and friends
who contributed financially to
our department during this past
year. Your donations help many
of our deserving students to have
the opportunity to complete their
education, and they really make
a difference. As you are probably
aware, in recent years the state has
been cutting the money it spends
on higher education, so students
have to make up some of the
difference with higher tuition. So
every donation really helps the next
generation! We have included here
the names of those who contributed
during the past academic year,
July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. We
apologize if we have omitted anyone
from the list of donors. We also have
included here a list of the various
departmental scholarships. If you
would like to designate a gift for a
particular scholarship or program,
you should note it on the memo line
or include a note so it is deposited to
the correct account. Checks should
be made out to Aiken Partnership and
mailed to:
USCA University Advancement
471 University Parkway
Aiken, SC 29801
2010- 2011 Donors
(* indicates alumnus)
Aiken County Historical Society
Mrs. Jennifer Leigh Backensto
Mrs. Doris Faye Baumgarten
Mrs. Norma J. Boatwright*
Mrs. Alison Caldwell
The Rev. Christine K. Dungan
Dr. and Mrs. James O. Farmer, Jr.
Prof. Alexia Jones Helsley
Mr. Douglas G. Heyl*
Mr. F. Owen Holmes, Jr.*
Mrs. Anna S. Lacher*
Ms. Kaitlin L. Lindburg
Dr. and Mrs. Valdis O. Lumans
Mr. W. Mark Manders*
Mr. Derrick L. McLane*
Mrs. Sherrill S. Norton
Ms. Kathryn D. Simmons*
Dr. W. Calvin Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Frampton W. Toole, Jr.
Mr. Brian M. Warden*
Departmental Scholarships:
Jerry W. Norton Memorial History
Scholarship
Donald P. Sumner History Program
Endowment
John F. Elliot Memorial Scholarship
Endowment
Betty M. Toole History Scholarship
Endowment Fund
Elise Curtis Memorial Scholarship
Endowment Fund (Political Science)
USCA History/Political Science
Department Fund
USCA History/Political Science
Scholarship
Page Nine, Fall 2011
Alumni News
Cliff Webb speaking at the December
2010 Convocation Ceremony
S
ome of you have stayed in the
Aiken area and some have
traveled far afield. Regardless of
where your life has taken you, we
would love to hear from you! In the
meantime, we thought you would
like to hear about what some of
your classmates have been doing.
We are pleased to tell you that
for the third year in a row, one of
our department’s graduates was
selected as the speaker for the
December 2010 Convocation
Ceremony. Every year, USCA
invites an outstanding graduate to
speak to the graduating students,
their families, faculty, and others
who are present. This year’s
speaker was R. Clifton (Cliff)
Webb, who graduated in 1980 with
a bachelor’s degree in Political
Science. Cliff is certainly a role
model for today’s students. He
can look back on a successful
career in which he has used the
skills he gained both as a student
and on the job to give back to
the community. Cliff and his wife
Donna still live in Aiken. The
following is excerpted from the
information that appeared in the
program.
“Mr. Robert Clifton Webb…is
vice president of Public Affairs with
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions,
LLC – a company owned by Fluor
Page Ten, Fall 2011
Corporation, Northrop Grumman
and Honeywell, currently serving
as management and operating
contractor at the Savannah
River Site. He is a native South
Carolinian from Columbia who
graduated from Irmo High School,
attended the University of South
Carolina in Columbia before
coming to USCA…
Mr. Webb began his career
in 1972 with the Emergency
Preparedness Division of the
State of South Carolina. In 1975
he moved to Aiken and joined the
U.S. Department of Energy at the
Savannah River Plant, where, in
1981, he became deputy director
of External Affairs.
In 1989, Mr. Webb joined
DuPont, serving the company in
communications and government
relations assignments in
Wilmington, Delaware and
Washington, DC. He was
appointed director of DuPont
Public Affairs in 2000 and
became vice president of DuPont
Government Affairs in 2006. In
2009 he retired from DuPont
and returned to Aiken and to the
Savannah River Site with SRNS.
Mr. Webb was a recipient of
the Department of Energy’s Silver
Medal for Meritorious Service in
1984 and he received a DuPont
Corporate Marketing Excellence
Award in 1993.
Today, he is responsible for
SRNS external communications,
employee communications,
community relations, government
relations and education outreach
between SRS and its neighboring
communities.
Mr. Webb serves on the Board
of Directors for the Greater Aiken
Chamber of Commerce and the
SRS Heritage Foundation. He is
a member of Rotary International,
and he is the Children’s Place
Corporate Fundraising Chair for
2010-2011.”
Another one of our graduates,
Troy Mothkovich, has been
working on a master’s degree
while working full-time at USCA’s
Computer Services Division.
Troy was honored at the April
2011 Academic Convocation as
Outstanding Student of M. Ed.
in the Educational Technology
Program. Some excerpts from the
remarks written by Dr. Tom Smyth
(Education) follow.
“Troy is one of our own: He
graduated from USCA in 1999
magna cum laude with a BA
degree in Political Science. Since
that time Troy decided to pursue
a Master's degree in Educational
Technology and he has been a
leader and model for excellent
performance in a graduate
program. For example, for his
educational technology internship,
Troy created an expansive set
of well-designed, easy-to-use
tutorials for the USCA community
about using the newest version
of Microsoft Office. Additionally,
this past fall, Troy presented
at the Tennessee Educational
Technology Conference on the
topic "How Technology Can Reach
Every Student through Universal
Design for Learning and Web 2.0
Tools."
According to one of his
professors, "Troy has a positive
attitude and demonstrates a
tremendous breadth and depth
of knowledge about the theory
and application of educational
technology. Furthermore, he
is always willing to share that
knowledge with others."
Recently Troy has been
accepted to the Ph.D. program in
higher education administration
at USC Columbia. The faculty is
confident that he will excel in that
program as well.”
Although we haven’t had the
opportunity to catch up with
most of our graduates here on
campus, they are doing all kinds of
interesting things with their lives.
Here are a few examples.
Robena Barton (History,
2009) completed her first year at
the University of South Carolina
for its MLIS (Master’s of Library
Information Studies) program.
Joseph Drye (History, 2010) is
a manager at CVS in Aiken, SC.
Jason R. Kirby (History, 2000)
returned to Aiken to assume a new
job as a social studies teacher
and coach (his first love, after his
wife, Lauren!) at an Aiken County
middle school in August 2011.
Jason is also working on a doctoral
dissertation on General William
Westmoreland to complete a
PhD in American History from the
University of Georgia.
Bill Whaley (History, 2009)
has put his degree to good use
as a historical researcher for
the documentary “Horse Creek:
Lifeblood of the Valley.” The film is
produced by SCETV and the Aiken
County Historical Society.
Glen Boatwright (Political
Science, 1987) is Vice President
of Nixon and Associates, a
firm that specializes in public
affairs, reputation counseling,
and emergency planning for the
energy, utility, chemical, and
transportation industries. A resident
of Columbia, he also serves in the
SC Air National Guard as a Lt.
Colonel. He really loves piloting
helicopters!
Tabitha Butler (Political
Science, 1995) lives in Charlotte,
NC, where she works in PepsiCo
Sales with Advantage Sales and
Marketing Company. Tab has
also written two books, Breaking
Through: The Journey From
Within, and a sequel, Love Will Do
That.
Christie Hightower (Political
Science, 2008) assumed a new
job as a Field Interviewer for
the NIS (National Inmate Study)
Project in May of 2011. She will
be traveling to Delaware, New
York, Pennsylvania and New
Jersey to interview inmates at jails,
prisons, and immigration facilities.
Christie tells us that this is the
third year for the program, which
is funded under PREA, the Prison
Rape Elimination Act, signed into
law during the George W. Bush
administration.
David M. Krupski (Political
Science, 2000) graduated from
law school in December of 2010.
But he enjoys teaching so much
that he plans to continue to
teach AP World History and US
Government at the high school
level for the present. David hopes
to go into administration in a few
years, where we have no doubt
that his law degree will be an
asset!
Planning and Research at Aiken
Technical College.
In Memorium: In the 2009
issue of Polis, we told you that
Alex Bush, an English major and
Political Science minor, had just
completed a year as president
of the Pacer Law Society. After
graduation, Alex went on to attend
law school at the College of
Charleston. Alex and his girlfriend,
Katie Scott, were killed in an auto
accident in late December of
2010. Alex was 24 years old. Your
editors note that he was one of
the nicest people they ever knew,
and we are sure he would have
done great things with his life. We
extend our condolences to the
Bush and Scott families on their
unthinkable loss.
Read more
about the
faculty
and catch
the latest
department
news at
http://www.usca.
edu/polisci/.
Donald Miles (Political
Science, 2004) is the new
president of the USCA Alumni
Association. Donald, who lives
in Columbia, is the Director of
Page Eleven, Fall 2010
From the Department of History,
Political Science, and Philosophy
University of South Carolina Aiken
471 University Parkway
Aiken South Carolina 29801
Non-Profit
Organization
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Augusta, GA
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We love to keep up with our former students. Please take a moment to fill out this form and let us know where you are and what you
are doing. Email Dr. Carol Botsch at carolb@usca.edu or mail to USCA, 471 University Parkway, Aiken, South Carolina 29801.
ALUMNI INFORMATION FOR DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY, POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY NEWSLETTER
Name_________________________________________Spouse Name_____________________________________ Date _____________
(include Maiden Name)
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